obviously you can have lots of people researching and farming but on projects like the lagoon and the hut building is it faster if you have two or more people working on it?

Yeah, even faster if your using runners!!

How do I get a runner, is this a villager who can do abit of everything?

Runners get things done quicker, but don't come very often.

It's a villager who LIKES running. You'll see it listed in the villager's details - gets everything done faster because he/she runs everywhere. A villager who dislikes running moves at his own sweet pace

Runners are villagers who have running down in their likes section. They tend to do the work of 2 1/2 people... assuming they stay on track and don't wander off to do laundry.

Meh, he moves at the same speed most of the other adult villagers move at. He's most annoying when he's a child, 'cuz it takes him longer to get places than a child who doesn't dislike running. He still runs when he "nature calls" or when he's being approached in an unwelcome fashion!

Good info! I'm learning so much from this forum!